What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Security Operations Engineer?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Security Operations Engineer jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Andrews, MD (27.4% above average), followed by Nome, AK and Berkeley, CA. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Andrews, MD $175,513 $14,626 $3,375 $84.38 Nome, AK $170,872 $14,239 $3,286 $82.15 Berkeley, CA $168,660 $14,055 $3,243 $81.09 Sitka, AK $165,938 $13,828 $3,191 $79.78 Wyoming, WY $164,278 $13,689 $3,159 $78.98 Los Altos, CA $163,132 $13,594 $3,137 $78.43 Palo Alto, CA $162,331 $13,527 $3,121 $78.04 Menlo Park, CA $162,326 $13,527 $3,121 $78.04 San Francisco, CA $162,287 $13,523 $3,120 $78.02 Sunnyvale, CA $161,665 $13,472 $3,108 $77.72

Security Operations Engineer

Security Operations Engineer Salary

Q: How much does a Security Operations Engineer make?

The average annual pay for a security operations engineer in the United States is $137,745 a year — that works out to approximately $66.22 an hour. The middle 80% of Security Operations Engineers earn between $103,500 (10th percentile) and $173,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Security Operations Engineer Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Security Operations Engineer in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Remote Cloud Security Architect at $11,402 (8.3%) above Security Operations Engineer. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Remote Cloud Security Architect $149,147 $12,428 $2,868 $71.71 Senior Cloud Devops Engineer $148,162 $12,346 $2,849 $71.23 Systems Test Engineer $132,091 $11,007 $2,540 $63.51 Devops Engineer Iii $125,908 $10,492 $2,421 $60.53 Cloud Operations Engineer $125,434 $10,452 $2,412 $60.30

$33.5K

$139K

$173.5K

$137,745

/year

$66.22

/hour

Security Operations Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$137,745

Columbus

Ohio

$133,048

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How much does a Security Operations Engineer make?

As of Jun 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Security Operations Engineer in the United States is $137,745 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $66.22 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,648/week or $11,478/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $173,500 and as low as $33,500, the majority of Security Operations Engineer salaries currently range between $111,000 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $173,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Security Operations Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 62000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Security Operations Engineer in your area makes on average $133,048 per year, or $4,697 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $137,745. Ohio ranks number 40 out of 50 states nationwide for Security Operations Engineer salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Security Operations Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Security Operations Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Security Operations Engineer Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Security Operations Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Andrews, MD, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $30,915 (22.4%), and Andrews, MD, furthers that trend with another $37,768 (27.4%) above the $137,745 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Security Operations Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between Andrews, MD, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Security Operations Engineer role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Andrews, MD	$175,513	$14,626	$3,375	$84.38
Nome, AK	$170,872	$14,239	$3,286	$82.15
Berkeley, CA	$168,660	$14,055	$3,243	$81.09
Sitka, AK	$165,938	$13,828	$3,191	$79.78
Wyoming, WY	$164,278	$13,689	$3,159	$78.98
Los Altos, CA	$163,132	$13,594	$3,137	$78.43
Palo Alto, CA	$162,331	$13,527	$3,121	$78.04
Menlo Park, CA	$162,326	$13,527	$3,121	$78.04
San Francisco, CA	$162,287	$13,523	$3,120	$78.02
Sunnyvale, CA	$161,665	$13,472	$3,108	$77.72

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Security Operations Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Security Operations Engineer category.

For example Remote Cloud Security Architect jobs pay as much as $11,402 (8.3%) more than the average Security Operations Engineer salary of $137,745. If you're qualified, finding work as a Remote Cloud Security Architect may help you make more money than that of the average Security Operations Engineer position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Remote Cloud Security Architect	$149,147	$12,428	$2,868	$71.71
Senior Cloud Devops Engineer	$148,162	$12,346	$2,849	$71.23
Systems Test Engineer	$132,091	$11,007	$2,540	$63.51
Devops Engineer Iii	$125,908	$10,492	$2,421	$60.53
Cloud Operations Engineer	$125,434	$10,452	$2,412	$60.30

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Security Operations Engineer salary across the United States as of June 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $137,745 per year or $66.22 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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